News Briefs

8/6/2012, Av 18, 5772

Senior Hamas Leaders Blame Israel for Sunday Attack

Deputy Hamas leader Mouss Abu-Marzouk blamed Israel, Monday, for the Sunday evening attack by the radical Islamic organization Al-Takfir Waal-Hijara along the Sinai-Gaza border, which took the lives of 17 Egyptian soldiers and wounded seven others. Writing on his Facebook page, Abu-Marzouk said that the attack, Israel's elimination of the terrorists and earlier warnings about travel to Sinai were clear signs that the terrorist group had been infiltrated and Israel knew about the attack ahead of time.

Deputy Speaker Ahmad Bahar of Palestinian Authority Parliament, a Hamas leader, sent a condolence letter to Egypt in which he said the purpose of the attack was to cause tensions and harm cooperation between Gaza and Egypt. He said Israel was trying to tighten the siege on Gaza and overshadow what he called "crimes" in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria (Shomron).